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The Commerce News
Sports
CONTACT US: Brandon Reed / brandon@mainstreetnews.com / (706) 367-5233 or (706) 335-2927
Girls Basketball
Lady Tigers Prepare For Upcoming Season
Lauren Jones puts one up during practice last week. Jones will
be returning as Commerce’s lone senior starter next year.
Photo by Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Practice began last week for
the Commerce High School
Lady Tigers basketball team.
Coach Eddie McCurley said
things are going well, but that he
will have a very young team with
only one returning senior when
the season gets under way.
“We’ve got a couple of first
time senior players that will be
added to the team, but with
very little experience," he said.
“We’re going to be a team made
up mostly of juniors and a cou
ple of sophomores and a couple
of freshmen. Right now, we’re
not even sure we’re going to
have enough for a J .V. program.
We’re going to be very, very
young."
McCurley said because of the
loss of a lot of their senior play
ers from last year, including the
team’s leading scorer, rebound
ers and defensive players, he
has several young players who
are going to have to step up and
play
“Obviously we have some
talent coming up," he said.
"Brittany Beauchamp came on
strong at the end of last year,
and played very well at the post.
She’s going to have to improve a
lot on her rebounding, and actu
ally be one of the main posts
rather than be one of those
backup post players that came
in and depended on other post
players to do things.
“Skyler Beasley is also coming
up from the JV team, and will
be playing in the post. Lauren
Jones will be returning as our
lone senior starter. She’s really
banged up right now. Both of
her knees and an ankle have
been giving her problems. So
she’s not been anywhere close
to full speed."
McCurley said Logan Brown
will move up from the JV team
after playing well for the Lady
Tigers in a backup role last
year.
“We need her to step up and
be one of our scorers," he said.
McCurley also pointed to
Jasmine Grier as a young player
he is excited about.
“She really has the potential to
step up and be a real producer
for us," he said. “She’s just a
sophomore, coming off of a JV
ninth grade year."
Also returning will be Jessie
Flint, who is currently out with
a knee injury. McCurley says
she’s expected to be out until
October or November.
“That only gives us about six
players who had any kind of
playing experience last year, and
we’re not sure who our backups
are going to be," he said.
McCurley says with the loss
of so many seniors, his team is
almost in the same situation it
was last year with trying to get
the younger players up to speed
on fundamentals.
“We’ve got to learn the proper
form, where to put the ball,
how to pass the ball," he said.
“There’s still a lot of that going
on. It’s even worse with the
backups. We’re having to teach
all those fundamentals just for
those kids coming in on backup.
So we’re further along than we
were last year, but we’re not that
much further along. We’ve still
got a lot of teaching to do."
With only two players coming
back with any substantial play
ing time on the varsity team,
McCurley said the upcoming
season will be a test.
“This is really going to test my
coaching ability and patience,"
he said. “I’m going to have to
work really, really hard this
year."
The team scrimmaged last
Friday at Hart County, and will
scrimmage at Madison County
this week. Next week, the Lady
Tigers will scrimmage with the
Lady Dragons in Jefferson.
Commerce Park and Rec
Tigersharks Start Season Saturday In Winder
Members of the Commerce Tigersharks warm up for practice Monday as they prepare for their
season opener this weekend.
The Commerce Tigersharks
continued to prepare for
their season opener Saturday,
the Pentathlon at the Winder
YMCA.
The meet, which will feature a
number of swim teams, will con
sist of each swimmer competing
in five events - each swimming
stroke plus an individual med
ley. The swimmers’ times will be
added together for a total time,
with awards given for the first
10 places.
“The Pentathlon is a chal
lenge," says Commerce Parks
and Recreation aquatic center
coordinator Pam Minish. “The
swimmers have to be able
to swim all five events. The
Tigersharks have been working
really hard during the two-a-day
practices and I’m really proud
of them."
In the past, the Tigersharks
have practiced once daily until
the state meet at the end of the
season. However, coach Nick
Moulton believes the extended
practice schedule will pay divi
dends when the team gets to
Winder on Saturday.
“The kids are already in much
better shape than they were at
this time last year," he said “I
expect their times at Winder to
reflect that."
Following Saturday’s meet,
the Tigersharks will travel
to Jefferson for a dual swim
meet on June 19, then on to
the Gainesville for the Summer
Splash at the Green Street Pool.
Girls Basketball
Lady Eagles Prepare For Sophomore Season
East Jackson coach Amy
Larimer speaks to her players
during a game last season.
By Brandon Reed
With nine players returning from their inau
gural season, the East Jackson Lady Eagles
look to improve the outcome from last year
as summer basketball practice continues this
week.
Coach Amy Larimer has two starters return
ing, and up to four girls that started at times
throughout the year.
“I can tell a definite difference in the girls
from last year," she said. “We built a base last
year and we are now able to move so much
quicker. I am excited about this group as we
move into summer camp. They are also hav
ing fun playing together and that goes a long
way."
Last year, the team had a 9-17 record, losing
to Dawson County in the first round of the
8-AA tournament.
The team loses three seniors, including Marley
Pullian, Dane Gaillard and Emma Turner.
Larimer says the team is working on several
aspects of its game during the summer.
“I have a very quick group that is very defen
sive minded, so we are focusing on different
defensive schemes as well as refining basic
offensive and defensive fundamentals," she
said. “(It’s) a lot of the same as last year but we
are able to get deeper into it and move much
quicker."
The team will continue to practice through
June.
IB
THE COMMERCE (GA.) NEWS
WEDNESDAY,
JUNE 11, 2008
Soccer
Around 50 kids from three counties took part in the first East
Jackson soccer camp, held last week at EJCHS.
Photo by Brandon Reed
First Annual Eagle
Soccer Camp Winds Up
By Brandon Reed
The first annual East Jackson Soccer camp was held last week at
the EJCHS soccer fields, as well as in the high school gymnasium.
The camp ran from Monday through Friday.
Organizers said around 50 participants came out to take part in
the camp, which also included an advanced camp. Kids ranging in
age from 6 to 14 from all three local school systems took part, and
organizers said the camp went really well.
Organizers said they saw a lot of talent from those who took part,
and that next year, they hope to be able to have a camp for high
school aged kids.
Organizers said they also hope to be able to hold a soccer tourna
ment for middle school players in the future.
Auto Racing
Atlanta Dragway
Points Season Begins
By Amy Glover
Atlanta Dragway racers finally
got a crack at a Summit points
race last weekend, marking the
first event not interrupted by
inclement weather this racing
season.
Despite the hot weather and
the soupy atmosphere, condi
tions allowed for fierce com
petition. Each class was repre
sented by a significant number
of entrants, ready to stake their
place in the points.
The Super Pro class was domi
nated by dragsters in the later
rounds. Winner Brad Howard
of Gainesville faced a tough run
against Roswell’s B.J. Pittman.
Pittman turned in a dead-on 5.22
at 127.39 mph pass. Howard also
went dead-on, running a 4.90 at
140.83 mph.
“It’s been a long time,"
Howard’s daughter Tiffany said
after the win. “He needed it."
Jim McKelvey of Snellville and
Ray LaCount of Hull placed in
the semi-final rounds.
In the Pro class, Justin
Buchanan of Six Mile, SC, and
Paul Schultz of Covington faced
off with similar dial-ins in their
70s model Chevy Novas, both
breaking out at the top end.
Buchanan posted a 7.13 on his
7.16, and Schultz went 7.64
on a 7.69 dial, leaving the win
light to Buchanan. The race was
Buchanan’s first win in a Pro
career of three years. Rob Hogue
of Loganville placed third.
Cummings Mel Abney won in
the Sportsman class. The two-
time champ claimed victory
against Winder’s Harold Wilson
with a winning run of 13.15
at 71.29 mph. Lynn Dixon of
Cleveland placed third.
Atlanta Dragway veteran Jay
“Bird" Rhyne of Athens took the
motorcycle category win, run
ning 12.44 at 98.18 mph (12.40
dial), against the better ET card
ed by pit neighbor Tim Sutton
of Clermont. Sutton ran a 9.33
at 134.16 mph (9.32 target).
“It’s been a long time," Rhyne
joked. “I forgot we were racing
here!"
Jeff Shropshire of Dallas took
the semi-finalist place.
In Junior Dragster action,
11-year old Wesley Mayfield
of Gainesville won in a tight
run against 12-year old Brittany
Heilman of Buford, with
both breaking out at the fin
ish. Mayfield went 8.88, while
Heilman broke out more with
an 8.87, with a mutual 8.90 dial-
in. Wesley claimed the run with
the better light. Bailey Brown,
age 11 of Forest Park, finished
third.
Fifteen year old Jackie
Lastinger of Lilburn won the
13-17 Junior Dragster category
with a dead-on 7.96 at 81.09
mph following a .010 reaction.
Lastinger defeated 16-year old
Brett Bowman of Homer, who
broke out with a 7.98 at 81.73
coupled with a slower reaction
time. Colt Dahlem of Acworth
took third.
Mel Abney’s Camaro prepares to launch from the starting line
during Saturday’s races.